Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 11, 2026

Fabrication of Compressed Hosiery and Measurement of its Pressure Characteristic Exerted on the Lower Limbs
Published on: May 27, 2020
Graduated compression stockings for runners: friend, foe, or fake?
H Jorn Bovenschen1, Mariëlle Te Booij, Carine J M van der Vleuten
1Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, The Netherlands.
Objective:
To assess the effect of graduated compression stockings (GCS) on lower leg volume and leg complaints in runners during and after exercise.
Design:
Cross-sectional study.
Setting:
Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre and an outdoor running track in Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Patients Or Other Participants:
Thirteen Dutch trained recreational runners.
Intervention(S):
Participants used a GCS on 1 leg during running.
Main Outcome Measures:
(1) Lower leg volume of both legs was measured at baseline, directly after running, and at 5 minutes and 30 minutes after running using a validated perometer. (2) Leg complaints were reported on questionnaires at set intervals.
Results:
(1) In both experiments, the legs with GCS showed a reduction in mean (± SEM) leg volume directly after running, as compared with the leg without GCS: -14.1 ± 7.6 mL (P = .04) for the 10-km running track and -53.5 ± 17.8 mL (P = .03) for the maximum exercise test. This effect was not observed at 5 and 30 minutes after running. (2) No differences in leg complaints were reported in either experiment.
Conclusions:
The GCS prevented an increase in leg volume just after the running exercise. However, this result was not accompanied by a reduction in subjective questionnaire-reported leg complaints. The practical consequences of the present findings need further study.
Related Concept Videos
Peripheral Artery Disease V: Postoperative Nursing Management
Assessing Blood pressure in the Leg
Preparation:
Veins of Lower Limbs
Formed by the union of the medial and lateral plantar veins, the posterior tibial vein, rising through the calf muscle, assimilates the fibular vein. The anterior tibial vein, a superior extension of the foot's dorsalis pedis vein, merges with the posterior tibial vein at the knee,...
Pulse Assessment Sites
Varicose Veins I: Introduction
Venous Thrombosis II: Clinical Manifestations and Diagnostic Studies

